World Series Game 2: Rasmussen Faces Henderson With Rays Down 1-0
Milwaukee can go up 2-0 on Saturday night; Tampa Bay turns to Drew Rasmussen to keep the series level.
The Milwaukee Brewers lead the World Series 1-0, and the Tampa Bay Rays need a win in Game 2 on Saturday night to level it before the series moves on. First pitch is 8 p.m. EDT.
The pitching matchup
Tampa Bay sends Drew Rasmussen (16-5, 2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 174 strikeouts) against Milwaukee's Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 110 strikeouts), per Fox Sports. Both starters are stingy at keeping runners off base, which points to a game where one swing could matter.
What the numbers say
The Brewers finished 103-59 and went 55-26 at home; they are 34-10 when hitting two or more home runs. The Rays were 98-64, and 43-38 on the road, with a 27-15 record in one-run games. This is the fifth meeting of the season between the clubs, and Milwaukee leads the season series 3-1, Fox notes.
Recent form leans Milwaukee: over their last 10 games the Brewers are 9-1 with a 2.22 ERA, while the Rays are 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA. Brice Turang (21 home runs, .270) and William Contreras (three home runs in his last 10 games) lead the Brewers' bats. Tampa Bay's power runs through Junior Caminero, who leads the club with 42 home runs, and Jonathan Aranda, who has five RBIs over his last 10 games.
Who is missing
Milwaukee's injured list includes Grant Anderson (biceps), Brian Fitzpatrick (elbow), Quinn Priester (wrist) and Angel Zerpa (forearm). Tampa Bay is without Shane McClanahan (forearm), Gavin Lux (shoulder), Jon Heasley (elbow), Edwin Uceta (shoulder), Jacob Melton (hamstring) and Ryan Pepiot (hip), according to Fox's listing.
What's at stake
A 2-0 lead would put Milwaukee in command of the series. The Rays, who have been strong in one-run games, need to keep it tight and find a way to score against a pitcher with a sub-2.50 ERA.
For reference only, and not advice: Fox lists the Brewers at -125 and the Rays at +103, with a total of 6.5 runs.